Becoming a Licensed Professional ME in the State of Washington
To be eligible to take the State PE ME license exam in Washington State you need:
- BS degree in engineering, pass F.E. ("E. I. T.") exam, 4 years' credited experience beyond school
OR - no degree, pass F. E. exam, 8 years' credited experience
OR - BS degree in engineering, no F. E., 12 years' experience: you can petition to have the F.E. exam waived
NOTE: experience and school records are subject to review by the Washington State Department of Licensing's Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors
STEP 1. Take and pass the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam (passing leads to certificate as Engineer-In-Training, or "E. I. T.")
- apply to State of Washington's Department of Licensing (cost = $30 to WA DOL at time of application, with an additional fee paid for the exam later) AT LEAST FOUR (4) MONTHS PRIOR TO EXAM
- The F. E. exam is offered twice per year (on Saturdays late in April and October). In Spring, the EIT in Washington state is usually administered at sites in the Seattle area, in Spokane, and sometimes has been on campus at Pullman. In the Fall, sites are usually Tri-Cities and the Seattle area.
- If take the exam promptly, preferably during your senior year, you should not need to take a special review course or lots of preparation.
- A manual will be provided to you at the FE exam, and is the only reference material allowed (certain calculators are allowed).
- You should get a copy of the FE Reference Manual from WA DOL when you register. These are also available through NCEES on-line (WEB link below).
STEP 2. Complete Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at an accredited institution
- WSU's Bachelor of Science is accredited
- You MUST actually earn your diploma to get 4 years experience credit - not just "complete major courses" without getting a BSME degree. You can still be licensed but need EIGHT years of total experience!
STEP 3. Acquire a minimum of 4 years job experience--as evaluated by the DOL--as a responsible Mechanical Engineer
- You will be required to furnish company and supervisor names and addresses, so stay in touch if you change employers during the first few years of your career.
- Experience credit is given based on the DOL board evaluation.
STEP 4. Take and pass the Professional Engineering/ Mechanical Engineer license exam
- Apply to State of Washington's Department of Licensing (cost = $65 to WA DOL at time of application, with an additional fee paid later to actually take the exam) AT LEAST FOUR (4) MONTHS PRIOR TO EXAM
- Allow plenty of time to get the information from former supervisors.
- Obtain references from current/former supervisors, and have other records sent. Washington subscribes to national standards of NCEES so comity (acceptance of your license in other states) is nearly certain.
- For self-study, you can get a manual with practice problems and other materials: contact Professional Publications for manuals and NCEES for sample exam problems. There are videotape courses available too, and look for WEB sites that offer exam prep too! ASME has an on-line PE prep course (it isn't free, but there is a free demo to help you decide whether to purchase).
- There have been ME PE Review courses, consisting of a dozen or so class meetings, offered from time to time in the Tri-Cities hosted through WSU as not-for-credit courses. Contact Russ Westphal (westphal@wsu.edu)
Resources for PE Licensing
To apply to take Washington State FE (EIT) or PE exams
Washington State Department of Licensing's Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors
P.O. Box 48001
Olympia, WA 98504-8001
(360) 664-1575
Engineers@dol.wa.gov
http://www.dol.wa.gov/business/engineerslandsurveyors
For sample exam materials and some reference materials
National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)
280 Seneca Road
P.O. Box 1686
Clemson, SC 29633-1686
Phone: (803) 654-6824 (ext. 233 for publication orders)
Fax: (803) 654-6003
http://www.ncees.org
To purchase review manuals and other reference and sample materials, as well as the free practice questions at their "exam cafe"
Professional Publications, Inc.
1250 Fifth Avenue, Dept. 77
Belmont, CA 94002
Phone: (800) 426-1178 or (650) 593-9119
http://www.ppi2pass.com
NOTE: Our WSU Bookstore - THE BOOKIE - often has the Professional Publications ME Review manual in stock.
National Society of Professional Engineers: http://nspe.org
American Society of Mechanical Engineers: http://www.asme.org
ASME online PE prep course: http://peonline.asme.org